20 on Tuesday | Carrie Small

Welcome to a new year of 20 on Tuesday!!!

I’m so excited to introduce you to a whole new group of photographers this year!

To start out our year, I’m featuring a photographer whose work I have been swooning over since I met her back in 2009.  Her work is such that, whenever I see her images, I think, “How does she do that???”  Her newborns are my favorite, although I  adore her family portrait work as well.  She has the most photogenic son with gorgeous blue eyes and hair to die for. He may just be the most photographed child in all of North Carolina.  If I lived closer, she would definitely be my go-to girl for our family portraits.  I was so excited when she agreed to be featured and I can’t wait to get to know her better.

Hi Carrie,

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Stedman, NC just outside of Fayetteville.

Where is home now?
Home now is still in Stedman.  I moved away to Virginia Beach for a year after college, and couldn’t stay away.  I’m quite the homebody.

Are you formally educated or self-taught in photography?
I am completely self taught in photography, along with some lessons from my late father, who was a hobbyist himself.

What led you to pursuing photography as a career?
I love photographing newborns, and since I only have one baby myself, I needed to practice on other babies in order to pursue my dreams.

When you’re in a rut, what inspires you?
Whenever I get in a rut, my son inspires me.  I remember why I loved my camera so much in the first place, and I concentrate on him and his growing personality.  He will awaken my creativity again.

Talk to me about personal projects.  Are they important and what  have you done lately?
Personal projects are very important to me, when I find the time to do them!  I save personal projects for the slow time of the year.  Each year, I make a 1-Year album for my son (this year is the 3rd Year) and I do a video-photo montage of his life up to this point.  This year I am doing an illustration of “Little Boy”, one of my son’s favorite books, to make an album for him.

What would your ideal photo session look like?
My ideal photo session would either be the perfect sleepy baby, or a family with plenty of kids who’s love just shines through the photographs.

If you could be invisible for one day with your camera…
I would do a day in the life photo shoot with a family.  I’ve always wanted to do one, but most of the families I photograph are aware of the camera and aren’t able to really loosen up and interact playfully with each other.  I love candid photos, but I struggle with setting them up, so it would be nice to just be invisible!

Name a photographer you would like to take a portrait of?
Oh goodness, there are so many photographers who I respect I couldn’t begin to pick one.  I do think I need to repay Laura Brett & Teresa Wilds for the beautiful family portraits they have taken for me this year though!

What part has your beautiful son played in your photography journey?
My son is the reason I started my journey in photography.  While I have always loved taking pictures (I used to pose my dolls as a child and photograph them, angering my dad when he had to develop the photos and they were of toys) I didn’t fall completely in love with it until his birth.  He was premature, born weighing a pound and eleven ounces.  Every day I would bring my camera up to the NICU to photograph how much he had grown from the night before.  Looking back now, I wish I knew more about photography then, because those photos were taken with an old P&S.  So when he came home from the hospital, I wanted to celebrate every day with a photo to remember him by.

What’s in your camera bag?
I shoot with a Nikon D700.  My favorite lenses are the Nikon 24-70 2.8, the Nikon 85mm 1.4, and the Nikon 105mm Macro.  I also have the 50mm 1.4D and G versions, the 60mm Macro and a Tamron Wide Angle lens.

What have been your three best photography investments so far?
My D700, Photocart, and my Shoot Baby beanbag have been my favorite investments.

If not a photographer what would you have been?
I am a Health Inspector full time, so if I were not a part-time-photographer, I would just be a full time health inspector.

If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home?
If I could live absolutely anywhere, I would choose to live either in Hawaii or Australia.

What talent would you most like to have?
I wish I could play music and knit.  I also wish I could be a videographer–these are things I hope to learn one day!

What are the three words your spouse would use to describe you?
Spoiled, stubborn, and generous (he had better throw at least one nice one in there 🙂 )

Something that is over rated…
To me, I think Television is overrated–But I am probably just telling myself that since I don’t get a lot of free time to watch it.

Your favorite movie of all time?
If I had to choose one movie as an all time favorite, it would probably be The Notebook.  I love all romance and romantic comedies though.

If you could change one thing you did while starting your photography business, what would it be?
Charging too little for my work is something I struggle with even to this day.  I try to remember that I am selling my free time away from Aidan.

What quote best represents you at this moment?
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

~Dr. Seuss

See what I mean?  Swoon!!!!

Carrie’s work can be found HERE.

Thank you, Carrie!  If you ever do a newborn workshop, I’ll be first to sign up!